"Stop it. Get off,"
Althea whimpered softly as she withered in bed. Her eyes were closed tightly and despite the cool satin sheets that draped her body, her skin felt clammy.
Her body was in a deep state of sleep but her mind was flashing with images of the night that was supposed to be a peaceful moment by the pool that could have ended up being her final and fatal night at Hayvenhurst.
Althea would never forget how terrifying his eyes looked and how repulsive it felt to have his weight on top of her. She'd never been so scared in her life.
"Get off me! Stop! Get off!"
The commotion of his wife moving around in bed slowly woke Michael and he rolled over, gently stroking her back.
The touch only caused Althea to jolt up in bed.
"NO!" She screamed.
Alarmed, Michael sat up in bed and turned on the lamp sitting at their bedside table. He sighed softly when he noticed tears streaming down his beautiful wife's face.
"Baby, what's the matter?" He cooed softly.
His wife only blinked away her tears and reached over, hugging him tightly. Her tears stained his satin pajama shirt but Michael didn't mind one bit.
"Oh Michael, " Althea sighed into his neck feeling a sense of instant relief as he stroked her hair. "It was an awful dream,"
She instantly regretted her words, knowing that her husband would want to discuss what she'd dreamed about. Althea would never admit to him that this dream had truly happened nights before.
"Let's talk about it, sweetheart,"
Althea pulled away and pushed her tears from her face with her thumb.
"I-I dreamed that we moved into the new house and there was this- this burglar that broke in. He- he got on top of me and I didn't know what he was gonna do. I was so scared, Michael," She replied.
It was an elaborate yet timely lie. In several hours, they'd be packing up their belongings and moving out of Hayvenhurst for good.
Moving day jitters could not appear suspicious.
"Aww, baby," Michael sighed. "Nothing like that's going to happen in our new home, I promise. This place is going to be our haven and I'm going to do everything to make sure nothing or nobody disrupts that, okay?"
His wife nodded and Michael leaned over, kissing her sweetly. Althea smiled softly.
"I'm sorry for waking you up, honey," she apologized, pulling the sheets up to her chest.
Michael smiled and kissed her again.
"Baby, I don't care what hour it is, if something is botherin' you I wanna know,"
Althea's eyes felt heavy with sleep and she lay on her side staring into Michael's ebony eyes. The glow of silver moonlight peeking from the bedroom curtains made them twinkle.
"I love you so much," She smiled, placing a hand on his cheek.
Her husband chuckled and grabbed hold of her hand, placing a kiss in her palm.
"I don't think so," He chided. "Not as much as I love you,"
Althea gave her eyes a playful roll.
"We'll argue about this in the morning. We've got a long day ahead of us,"
They snuggled up to each other and drifted back into a deep sleep and when the morning came, Althea was feeling very optimistic about their move.
She woke to boxes scattered on the floor, mostly filled with Michael's books and miscellaneous knick-knacks, and the closet nearly bare. The room almost looked the way it had the night they'd first moved in.
Althea slipped on a pair of jeans and a blouse and packed away her vanity before going to the bathroom to freshen up. To her surprise, Michael was packing away their toiletries.
"Mind if I brush my teeth before you pack everything away?" She quipped.
Michael grinned as he tossed a bottle of his aftershave into the box.
"Don't be long, baby. I wanna get out of here by lunch. Feelin' okay this morning?"
Althea grinned and wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm fine, Mike," She replied. "I can't wait until we get to the new house,"
He bent down, kissing her lips.
"Me too, Thea,"
After Althea had gotten herself ready for the day, they paused on the packing to join the rest of the family for their last breakfast at Hayvenhurst.
The table seemed to overflow with food. A platter of pancakes served as the centerpiece while bacon, eggs, sausage, hash browns, and ham accompanied.
"Good morning," Kathrine spoke, breaking Althea's attention away from the food.
Joseph sat with his usual newspaper, sharing another section with Tito while T.J piled up his plate and Hazel helped Stacy reach for a piece of bacon her short little arms couldn't reach.
Althea refused to look at Jermaine. Even if it was her last day at Hayvenhurst, she couldn't gather the strength or tolerance to face him.
"Good morning," She greeted the family as she took her seat next to Michael. "What a lovely spread,"
Her mother-in-law flashed a tight-lipped smile as she brought her cup of coffee to her lips.
"Opal thought that you two might need extra energy for the big move," Kathrine replied.
Althea smiled as she helped herself to a few slices of ham. She owed her life to Opal.
"We haven't got too much to move, Mother," Michael replied. "We're not keeping any furniture,"
"I can't believe you're really moving out, Uncle Michael," T.J sighed. "You've always lived here. You've lived here since I was born,"
Michael chuckled as he placed a pat of butter on his pancakes.
"A man has to leave the nest someday, T.J," He shrugged.
The teenager shook his head as he sunk his fork into his eggs.
"But we've got everything you could want here, plus a maid. I don't think I'll ever leave,"
Jermaine nodded as he sipped his coffee.
"You can't satisfy everyone, T.J," He replied. "Some people are so ungrateful,"
His gaze settled on Althea and she instantly felt enraged. Wasn't the night that he attacked her enough? Would he keep bothering her until she was dead?
"You don't get to determine who's grateful and who's not," She retorted, slamming down her glass of orange juice. "I am beyond grateful for having lived here for the past few months but Michael and I have decided to start a new chapter in our lives. We don't need your permission either,"
A hushed silence fell over the table and Michael smirked, satisfied that his wife could stick it to his condescending brother.
Patting the corner of her mouth with her napkin, Althea pushed herself away from the table.
"I have some more packing to do if you don't mind," She spoke politely.
Jermaine sent her a venomous gaze and she didn't hesitate to return it before pivoting on her heel and heading upstairs.
"I guess I better get goin' too," he adjusted his suit jacket before turning to his younger brother. "You sure you're coming in, Mike?"
Michael stared up from his plate in annoyance.
"What kind of question is that? I have a house to move into,"
The older Jackson rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, you said it a million times already," He retorted.
Jermaine stood up from the table and bid the family farewell. When he leaned in to kiss Hazel, she flinched away.
He headed to the foyer and grabbed his keys from the rack but as his hand caressed the handle, he suddenly got a sinister idea.
Stuffing the keys in his pocket, Jermaine crept up the stairs and over to the wing of the hall where Michael and Althea would no longer reside. The door had been left ajar and through it, he got the perfect view of Althea.
She hummed softly to herself while folding a lacy red negligee before tossing it into a cardboard box. For a moment he let his mind wander, imagining how sexy she'd look in the piece, and Jermaine couldn't help but feel jealous knowing that his brother got to have her all to himself.
He slowly pushed open the bedroom door.
"Mike, I think we need more tape,"
Althea glanced up, expecting to see her husband standing in the door frame but her mood instantly changed when she realized just who was standing there.
Her doll-like eyes turned dark and angry.
"Get out," She growled.
Althea's words only prompted him to step forward. Jermaine had always been a fan of a challenge.
"You don't understand," Jermaine started softly. "I came here to apologize- for the other night,"
Althea slammed another nightgown into the box before folding her arms across her chest.
"I have nothing to say to you. We're moving, I don't have to deal with your harassment anymore,"
He sighed and moved closer to her figure. The King-sized bed occupied the space between them but she still felt a bit uneasy.
"I was out of my head, Thea. I didn't know what I was doing. You're too pretty to kill,"
He stared up at her, hoping his eyes beared some sense of sincerity but Althea was far too smart to fall for his lies.
Althea shook her head in disgust, the panic from that night returning.
"Just stay away from me!" She hissed "Stay away!"
She grabbed hold of the nearest object in sight-a crystal figurine of a tiger that sat on the bedside table- and hurled it at Jermaine. He ducked and shards of crystal shattered on the mahogany floor.
The commotion brought Michael upstairs. The crystal crunched under his feet and his gaze curiously fell between his wife and brother.
"Baby, what happened?" He asked.
Althea nervously ran her palms against her jeans.
"It- it slipped off the bed. I know how much you liked that tiger. I'm sorry, honey," She lied
Michael smiled softly.
"It's no big deal, Thea," He turned to Jermaine. "What are you doing here?"
Jermaine stuffed his hands in his pocket.
"I forgot something,"
The younger Jackson scoffed.
"In our room?"
Althea glared at him, resting her hands on her hips.
"I just wanted to see if y'all needed anything for the move. Damn,"
Jermaine turned on his heel and Michael sighed before approaching his wife.
"He wasn't bothering you, was he?" He asked, staring into Althea's brown eyes.
She bit her lip and shook her head.
"No, let's finish packing,"
***
By eleven-thirty, Michael and Althea had successfully packed up their bedroom. It almost felt strange to see the room she'd called home for the past two months looking as sterile, clean, and void of human presence as it had when she'd first stepped over the threshold with uncertainty.
Althea felt a small bit of sadness leaving the room that had been her and Michael's very first 'home' after marriage.
"Honestly, Michael, I can carry this one," She fussed, holding the box away from her husband.
"But it's heavy," Michael protested.
Althea giggled.
"You've said that about every box. You just don't want me to carry anything,"
Her husband grinned before snatching the box out of her arms.
"You're right. I don't want you to lift a finger. The car's packed up, don't you wanna come down?"
"In a moment. I want to make sure we haven't forgotten anything," She smiled, giving Michael's backside a swat as he headed downstairs.
Althea looked around the empty room with a sigh. As excited as she was to move out, there was always a bit of sadness to the feeling of closing a chapter and starting another.
Footsteps echoed on the wooden floor and she turned around, smiling when she noticed Opal.
"Maybe we could turn this room into a nursery for a new baby," The maid said.
Althea smiled.
"That'd be really sweet,"
Opal moved closer and rummaged through her apron pockets until she retrieved a sparkling emerald ring that she held between her thumb and her forefinger.
"What's that, Opal?" The young woman asked.
The maid smiled softly.
"A long time ago, when I first started working for the Jacksons, Katie gave me this ring as a present," She started. "For the longest, it was one of the most valuable things I owned and when I had a daughter, I hoped to give it to her one day. I never had a daughter but since you've been here, I've felt like I had one. I want you to have this, Althea,"
Althea felt her heart swelling with love and gladness as Opal placed the ring in her palm. She slid it on her right hand smiling as it glittered under the sunlight.
" There are very few positive things I'll remember about Hayvenhurst and you'll always be one of them, Opal. You've always been kind and protective over me- like a mother,"
The maid chuckled and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Oh, I said I wouldn't cry,"
The women embraced one another and Althea couldn't recall feeling that warmed and loved since her granny had last been well.
"We're not moving to Mars," The young woman giggled. "Besides, I'm sure we'll be back to visit and if things ever fall apart here, you've always got a place with me and Michael,"
Opal chuckled.
"Thank you, dear,"
Althea closed the bedroom door and headed downstairs. Kathrine, Hazel, and Stacy were eating an early lunch in the kitchen and Michael had parked his and her car in the front driveway. She walked over to the table with her hands folded behind her back.
"Well, Michael has the car packed up," she started slowly.
Kathrine sat down her forkful of chicken salad with a sigh. She was not happy to see her son go but she knew there was no sense in fighting it. It was hard for Kathrine to admit but she no longer held the power to sway Michael's decisions- his wife came first.
"Promise the two of you will call when you get settled in?" she asked.
Althea nodded.
"Of course, we will," She turned to Hazel. "If you ever need a ride to the doctor's office or need someone to watch Stacy, I'm always a call away, Hazel. Don't be a stranger,"
Her sister-in-law stared up from her plate with a half-smile. Hazel was much more excited about Althea moving out than the possibility of friendship. She'd been intimidated since Michael first brought her home and the idea of getting her position back as alpha-daughter-in-law sounded great.
Stacy sat down her fork and sat up in her chair.
"Can I come to your new house, Auntie Thea?" The little girl asked.
Althea giggled.
"Anytime, sweetie,"
"Baby, are you ready to go?"
Michael peeked his head into the kitchen, impatiently waiting for his wife to leave the premises of Hayvenhurst. He was beginning to think she'd changed her mind about moving.
"Yes, honey," She responded. "Just giving my last goodbyes,"
Kathrine stared at her son, blinking back the tears she felt welling in her eyes.
"Mother, we'll call when we get in," Michael announced.
His mother only stared down at her plate.
"Mmhm,"
Michael could sense his mother's coldness but he chose to brush it off. He knew he was doing what was best for him and Althea.
They bid their final farewells and when they stepped outside of Hayvenhurst, the air seemed much fresher. Michael wrapped an arm around his wife, feeling a sense of relief as he bent down to kiss her.
"I'll race ya to the house," he whispered mischievously against her lips.
Althea giggled.
"Hey, that's not fair! I don't know my way around here like you do,"
Michael didn't waste any time hopping into his Rolls and zooming away from the mansion but Althea stopped to take one last look. Here she was, finally free of all the fear, stress, and manipulation. She was saying goodbye to Hayvenhurst and saying hello to the best days of her life.